The Way Church ought to be
Philippians 1:3-11
Win Arn, a leading church consultant conducted a survey: He surveyed members of nearly a thousand churches asking the question, “Why does the church exist? The results: Of the church members surveyed, 89 percent said, “The church’s purpose is to take care of my family and my needs. For many, the role of the pastor is simply to keep the sheep who are already in the “pen happy and not lose too many of them. Only 11 percent said, “The purpose of the church is to win the world for Jesus Christ.
Too many times churches have confused what the church is really about. We have gotten away from what the Bible says church should be. In our FL. Baptist Convention 84% of our churches have less than 200 in worship.
It is clear that if the church in America is going to grow and thrive then the church can’t be unclear of its mission. Well what’s our mission? The mission of the church is to win the lost and disciple the saved.
I’ve been in many different types of churches. I’ve been in some that were governed by their by-laws rather than the Bible. I’ve been in some that rituals mattered more than worship and that a few people ran the church.
The Apostle Paul here in our text defines the Way church ought to be. He uses one word the word fellowship it simply means “to have in common.” We have confused this word in church today true Christian fellowship is really much deeper than sharing coffee and pie, or even enjoying a golf game together. You cannot have fellowship with someone unless you have something in common; unless a person has trusted Christ as his Savior, he knows nothing of “the fellowship of the Gospel.” Paul uses fellowship in every chapter of this book. In Philippians 2:1, Paul writes about “the fellowship of the Spirit,” There is also “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10).
When we share what we have with others, this is also fellowship (Phil. 4:15, translated “communicate” in kjv or shared in the NKJV).
So, true Christian fellowship is much more than having a name on a church roll or being present at a meeting. It is possible to be close to people physically and miles away from them spiritually. Let me just ask you. Are you one of those people the church counts on to share in the bad times as well as the good? Anyone can be a good
Christian in the good times. Let some adversity come our way and I can tell you I’ve sure learned who I can count on in the down days.
Paul uses three thoughts in Philippians 1:1–11 that describe true Christian fellowship and the way church should be let’s look at them today:
I. I Have You in My Mind (Phil. 1:3–6)
If we really care about something or someone we think about them often. Isn’t it remarkable that Paul is thinking of others and not of himself? That is real church when the believers come together and think about the needs and well being of others. Two wonderful things happen when this mindset is in the church:
A. The church is joy filled (v.3-5)
As he awaits his trial in Rome, Paul’s mind goes back to the believers in Philippi, and every recollection he has brings him joy. Read Acts 16; you may discover that some things happened to Paul at Philippi, the memory of which could produce sorrow. He was illegally arrested and beaten, was placed in the stocks, and was humiliated before the people. But even those memories brought joy to Paul, because it was through this suffering that the jailer found Christ! Paul recalled Lydia and her household, the poor slave girl who had been demon-possessed, and the other dear Christians at Philippi; and each recollection was a source of joy. Warren Weirsbe said it like this: (It is worth asking, “Am I the kind of Christian who brings joy to my pastor’s mind when he thinks of me?”)
That’s a tough question to ask ourselves. Am I the type of person that brings others joy? If a church will do anything for God then joy will be prevalent. I mean why would anyone want what we have if we’re not happy about who we know? Are you a joy spreader or joy sucker? Walmart/Coffee filters/basketball
B. The church is full of growing Christians (v.6) Verse 6 is one of the most important verses in all the Bible for a believer. This verse is speaking to the believer and Paul ties it together in Philippians 2:12–13 we are told to work out our salvation and that God continues to work in us through His Spirit. In other words, salvation includes a threefold work:
• The work God does for us—salvation;
• The work God does in us—sanctification;
• The work God does through us—service.
We want to use the resources God has given and the Holy Spirit has gifted the body to be. If a church uses the gifts God has placed within the body then that church is a relevant church to its members and its community.
II. I Have You in My Heart (Phil. 1:7–8) Now we move a bit deeper, it is possible to have others in our minds without really having them in our hearts. (Someone has observed that many people today would have to confess, “I have you on my nerves!”) Paul’s sincere love for his friends was something that could not be disguised or hidden.
Christian love is “the tie that binds.” Illustration 1672 Blest Be The Ties That Bind:
In 1765 John Fawcett was called to pastor a very small congregation at Wainsgate, England, He labored there diligently for 7 years., but his salary was so meager that he and his wife could scarcely obtain the necessities of life. Though the people were poor, they compensated for this lack by their faithfulness and warm fellowship.
Then Dr. Fawcett received a call from a much larger church in London, and after lengthy consideration decided to accept the invitation. As his few possessions were being placed in a wagon for moving, many of his parishioners came to say goodbye. Once again they pleaded with him to reconsider.
Touched by this great outpouring of love, he and his wife began to weep. Finally Mrs. Fawcett exclaimed, “O John I just can’t bear this. They need us so badly here.” “God has spoken to my heart, too!” he said. “Tell them to unload the wagon! We cannot break these wonderful ties of fellowship.”
This experience inspired Fawcett to write a hymn, “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love! The fellowship of kindred mind is like to that above.
Two key elements about Christian love:
A. They Need Us (v.7) Love is the evidence of salvation: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14). Did you notice Paul uses the phrase “you all”? There are at least nine occurrences in this letter. He does not want to leave anyone out! When we really love one another we are concerned about them and we know they depend on us to be there for them.
B. We Need Them (v.8) Sometimes we forget how much we need others. Paul states here he loves them so much he craves with an affection that literally means from the spleen or intestine an inward affection that hurts when we are not around them.
If you have ever been separated from someone you deeply loved you understand this type of affection. When I am without Brenda or the boys…I miss them.
Jesus wants His church to love like that a family that is in love with Him and with one another. Church we need Him and we need each other. **v.9**
III. I Have You in My Prayers (Phil. 1:9–11)
Paul found joy in his memories of the friends at Philippi and in his growing love for them. He also found joy in remembering them before the throne of grace in prayer.
This is a prayer for maturity and Notice this 3 part prayer:
A. He prays that they might experience abounding love and discerning love. The church needs to have a growing love. However, Christian love is not blind! A mature Christian is able to discern or to “distinguish between the things that differ.”
Christianity goes beyond the feeling of worship and into the meat of worship. In preaching some folks will say well I didn’t get anything out of it. My concern is never that,
my concern is what did you put into it? If you haven’t worshipped through the week, spent time with God daily, then don’t expect the preacher to ring your Beulah bell when you walk in the door.
Many Christians and churches today get caught up in the feeling of worship or the fluff of the message and miss the meat. Discernment moves the Christian to the next part of the prayer.
B. Paul prays for them to have mature Christian character, “without offense till the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10). This means that our lives do not cause others to stumble, and that they are ready for the Judgment Seat of Christ when He returns (see 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 John 2:28). Here are two good tests for us to follow as we exercise spiritual discernment:
(1) Will it make others stumble? (2) Will I be ashamed if Jesus should return?
C. Paul prays that they might have mature Christian service. He wants them filled and fruitful (Phil. 1:11). He is not interested simply in “church activities,” The difference between spiritual fruit and human “religious activity” is that the fruit brings glory to Jesus Christ. Whenever we do anything in our own strength, we have a tendency to boast about it. True spiritual fruit is so beautiful and wonderful that no man can claim credit for it; the glory must go to God alone.
“Am I conducting myself in a manner worthy of the Gospel?” is a good question for us to ask ourselves regularly. We should “walk... worthy of the calling” that we have in Christ (Eph. 4:1, nasb), which means to live to please the Lord. Paul knew this was the only way we Christians will be truly happy.
It is worth remembering that the world around us knows only the Gospel that it sees in our lives. Someone once wrote:
You are writing a Gospel,
A chapter each day,
By the deeds that you do
And the words that you say.
Men read what you write,
Whether faithful or true:
Just what is the Gospel
According to you?
Paul’s prayer for the church was that our love, our character and our service would be known to the world around us.
Conclusion: I’d like to share a poem I found. It’s called “The Perfect Church,” written anonymously. It says: “I think that I shall never see A church that’s all it ought to be; A church that has no empty pews, Whose preacher never has the blues; A church whose deacons always “deke”, And none is proud but all are meek; Where gossips never peddle lies Or make complaints or criticize; Where all are always sweet and kind And all to other’s faults are blind. “Such perfect churches there may be, But none of them are known to me. But still we’ll work, and pray and plan To make our church the best we can! If you could find the perfect church, Without one fault or smear, For goodness sake, don’t join that church - You’d spoil the atmosphere. If you should find the perfect church, Then don’t you ever dare To tread upon such holy ground -
You’d be a misfit there. “But since no perfect church exists, made of imperfect men, Then let’s cease looking for that church and love the one we’re in. Of course it’s not a perfect church - that’s simple to discern - But you and I and all of us could cause the tide to turn.”
The church will only be as good as you and I make it. It will never be perfect but folks let’s make Gap Creek the best church it can be for God’s Glory.
PRAY
